Key topic 4 crime and punishment

• The Sexual Offences Act decriminalised homosexuality for the first time in the UK


  1967
• The Criminal Justice Act said that hate crimes would be punished more severely

  2005
• New laws were needed as increasing immigration led to Britain being more multicultural. The 1968 Race Relations Act made it illegal to refuse jobs, housing or public services to anyone on the basis of their race, ethnic background or country of origin
• Crimes of violence by a man towards his wife were seen as personal business

  19th century
• Attitudes changed as women got the vote and campaigned for equal rights in the 1960s


  After WW1
• The Domestic Violence Act gave victims the right to ask for an injunction against a violent partner


  1976
• The courts ruled that it was possible to prosecute a man for rape within marriage


  1991
• Controlling and coercive behaviour towards a partner was made a crime

  2014
• Despite this, it is the still the case that two women a week in the UK are killed by their current or former partner
• Terminating a pregnancy was illegal in Britain, leading to dangerous 'backstreet abortions'


  Until 1967
• Growing liberalisation of attitudes in the 1960s led to calls for change
• The Abortion Act legalised abortion if the child was going to have serious disabilities or the mother was at risk of serious physical or mental harm


  1967
• The latest stage of pregnancy at which an abortion could be carried out was 28 weeks, although this has been lowered over time as medicine has advanced


  1968
• Driving a horse drawn coach while drunk first became a crime

  1872
• It became illegal to drive a car while drunk

  1925
• A new law set a maximum limit for the amount of alcohol a person could have in their bloodstream and legally drive


  1967
• In the 1970s attitudes to drunk driving were generally quite lenient, and only recently have attitudes changed to make it generally condemned by the public
• The Misuse of Drugs Act made many drugs illegal for the first time


  1971
• Terrorism is the use of violence, fear and intimidation to publicise a political cause
• The IRA (Irish Republican Army) used violence to campaign for Irish independence from the UK


  1970s and 80s
• More recently, Al-Qaeda and Isis have been responsible for acts of terror in Europe
• Modern day terrorists use the internet to communicate and spread their message
• Other groups also use terrorism to further their cause, for example animal rights activists
• People-trafficking involves people from poorer countries being brought to the UK and forced to work for very low (or no) wages. Some women and children are forced into prostitution. Gangs use physical confinement, blackmail and coercion
• The phrase 'white slave trade' was first used in the 1830s
• Cybercrime


  Any crime that is carried out via the internet and other digital technologies
• Cybercrime


  • Fraud
  • Copyright theft
  • Hacking
• Fingerprint Branch was set up. The National Fingerprint System kept a record of fingerprints from everyone arrested


  1901
• Police bicycles were introduced to allow officers to pursue criminals more quickly


  1909
• Police cars became quite common, and the 999 telephone number was introduced

  1930s
• CCTV was first used

  1960
• Breathalysers were introduced to test drivers' blood alcohol levels


  1967
• The Police National Computer was launched, which held the records of 25 million people

  1980
• The first murder convictions were gained used DNA samples


  1988
• Speed cameras were introduced

  1992
• The National Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) and National DNA Database were set up to share information


  1995
• More recent developments include mass video surveillance and biometric screening
• The first specially trained police dogs, Labradors, were used in London

  1938
• A specialist dog section was established within the Metropolitan Police

  1946
• The first specialist Fraud Squad was set up in London

  1946